Improvement in medicine-droppers



`J. BARNES. Medicine-Drawers:

Patented Jan.` 12, 1875.

ww w NrrED STATES PATENT .iosnoa RARJES, OE BROOKLYN, New YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MEDICINE-DROPPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,564, dated January 12, 1875,' applic/ation tiled v July 2l, 1874.

.To all urliolnrit may concern Be it known that, I, Josn'UA BARNES, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a' certain new and useful Improvement in Medicine--Droppers; and I do hereby declare that the following` specification, taken in connection with the drawings ,forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and accurate description thereof'.

lipettes have heretofore been sov combined with bottle-'Stoppers that the contents of a bottle might be discharged drop by drop. In most instances these pipettes have been duplicated.

in one stopper or employed singly, and provided with a veilt-passage, whereby air was permitted to enter the bottle as the duid was ,discharged .lggomliin'ed stoppenandpipette.. l Vot' this class pelbrms the true t'unction ot'ia stopper, as the continually-open pipettes adl that air may circulate in the pipette, and allow the liquid to freely enter at its lower or submerged end, and as freely to leave it in drops when removed from the bottle. In all of these forms of pipettes there exists a liability to clog internally, as the evaporated portion of the ,solution leaves a solid residuum therein. f

My invention consists in providing the wellknown compressible bulb and pipette-dropper, with av bottle-stopper, whereby the pipette-tube may be charged withtluid to the extent ofthe last drop in the bottle, the dropper always maintained in a position ready for use, be protected by the bottle during intervals of use, the interior of the tube guarded against theV introduction of air, and the liability of internally clogging the tube practically obviated. i

Figure 1, the simple stopper in elevation in its customary form;- Fig..2, vertical Asection ofthe saine; Fig; 3, vertical vsection ot' one adapted for bottlesof several sizes.; Fig.A 4, stopper, with a bent tube-that lwill take out involucre is put on.

A, the india-rubber involucre; B, the `glass or metallic tube; G, end of the tube, which, in some cases, would be quite small, as in the case ot' dispensingmedicines drop by drop; D, the air-chamber; LL the reservoir ofthe tube; F, the curved end ot the tube G, the cork of the-stopper; H, a bottle, toyhich the stop is adapted.' The said stopper is made, tirst, by-

shapinga cork, and making through it a hole of the proper size; ai tube 'is then put in, and over all an india-rubber involucre is put, theV top of which extends above and leaves angairchamber. (Sec Fig. 2.) f

To extract liquor from any receptacle, the stopper is put in and the air-chamber pressed; then withdrawing the pressure the liquor iows up int-O fhe reservoir B of thetube. The stopper bein, withdrawn the lliquor can b'e discharged from the tube in a stream, Or by. drops.

The stopper is best it' made all ot indi-arubber, with the proper hole to receive the tube 13.

lt' a corkvbe used, then-the involucre of india-rubber need onlyfqiartially cover it.v An important use ot' this when made large enough is to take samples of liquor from a Cask or vat.

This invention is`intended to beha practicalbOttlc-stopper, as well as a medicine-dispenser, or dispenser ofother tluids. Y

As already herein statedl` am aware that it is not broadly new to combine a bottle-stopper with a medieine-dropper, but prior to my invention I know of no combined stopper and dropper, whereby the last drop in a bott-le could be withdrawn nor do I know of any, preexisting device ot' .this character which would be a practicable one to employ in connection with compounded medicines put up in bottles and kept ons-ale. \Vheu tube-droppers,"`having a closed end, an open end, and a more or less centrally' loca-ted vent, are employed, the vent, in the handling of the bottle and in placing it in dilferent positions, is lia ble to, and does in practice frequently, get clogged by the solidifcation of matter in solution, requiring frequent clearancein order to admit `iuid vtoK the tube, or to discharge it therefrom. `Itis'obvious that an open-mouthed droppin g pipette would not have practicable valuein this connection, as additional stoppers at each pipette would be requisite for the prop'er closure ofthe bottle. I am also aware that medicine-d'roppers have long been made and'used, which were composed of la glass tube and compressible bulb, of the character herein described. These are extremely fragile, and are liable to be broken during intervals of use. Solid `matter accumulates within said tubes during these intervals, as a result of evaporation of the solvent, and they are, therefore, not only liable to become clogged, but in practice Aare liable at times to discharge in given number of drops a much greater quantity oi'the active matter than would be contained in the same number of drops in the original solution. This feature, under some circumstances, is liable to result in serious ef- Vi'ects. i By combining with the well-known pipe and compressible'bulb a neck, which has the characteristics of a bottle-stopper, as herelin described, the pipe may1 be inclosed in au duced by heat, instead of acting with direct pressure on the cork, are free tovrst exert themselves in expanding said bulb, which, in most cases, Will relieve the cork 'from such a degree ot' direct pressure as would be liable to force it from the bottle if the bulb were not employed.

Having thus described my invention, l claim- The combined stopper and dropdischargcr, consisting ot' a dropping-tube, a conipressible bulb, and a,bottlestopper, substantially as described.

JOSHUA BARNES.` Signed in presence of- A. G. WARREN, W. E. BARNES. 

